Ordnance mount and supporting structure therefor



July 24, 1 52 E. F. CAMPBELL 3,045,554

ORDNANCE MOUNT AND SUPPORTING STRUCTURE THEREFOR Filed April 26, 1956 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR 5 L a ERNEST F CAMPBE L BY ZJWL ATTORNEYSORDNANCE MOUNT AND SUPPORTING STRUCTURE THEREFOR Filed April 26, 1956 2Sheets-Sheet 2 E. F. CAMPBELL a wig? July 24, 1962 5 U INVENTOR ERNESTF. CAMPBELL Lflfifl;

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Unite 3,45,554 Patented July 24, 1962 3,045,554 ORDNANCE MOUNT ANDSUPPORTING STRUCTURE THEREFOR Ernest F. Campbell, Springfield, Va.,assignor to the United States of America as represented by theSecretal'y of the Navy Filed Apr. 26, 1956, Ser. No. 580,969 4 Claims.(CI. 8937) (Granted under Title 35, U.S. Code (1952), see. 266) Theinvention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for theGovernment of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

The present invention relates to ordnance mounts and supportingstructures therefor, and more particularly to an ordnance mount which issupported by vertically spaced platforms.

While the invention is primarily intended for the installation ofordnance devices on marine vessels, as disclosed herein, it is to beunderstood that it is also readily adaptable for use in shore basedordnance installations.

In the past, it has been the practice to mount and support navalordnance devices such as guns, missile launchers, and the like, on but asingle deck or platform of a vessel, usually the top deck sometimesreferred to as the gun deck or weather deck. In this arrangementsubstantially all of the forces and overturning moments caused byoperation of the device, and from the motion of the vessel, are impartedto the single deck structure in the form of vertical forces or forcesnormal to the plane of the deck. In order to securely support theordnance device on the single deck it was necessary to mount the deviceon a large heavy trunk or base member and, in addition, to add heavyreinforcing elements to the normal deck structure adjacent andsurrounding the trunk or base member. This type of installation orsingle deck mounting arrangement has certain inherent disadvantages inthat the large base member together with the reinforcing elements notonly add considerable weight to the vessel, which is in and of itselfundesirable, but the weight being located in the extreme upper portionof the vessel raised the center of gravity of the vessel. Such effect onthe center of gravity is particularly critical in smaller ships.Further, the single deck method of mounting also requires unusuallylarge bearing assemblies for rotatably supporting the largecircumferenced base or trunks, and these bearings are expensive anddifficult to manufacture within prescribed tolerances.

The present invention overcomes the foregoing disadvantages in that itprovides an ordance mount which is supported by two or more spaced decksor platforms whereby the forces or overturning moments caused byoperation of the ordnance device and/ or by the vessels motion will beresisted by reactions developed in the planes of the two decks orplatforms.

Since the conventional platform or deck structures are capable ofsustaining considerably greater axial forces than forces applied normalto their surfaces the twodeck mount can be made of lighter constructionwith a relatively small circumferenced base member, and additionalreinforcing structures may be kept at a minimum. Also, the variousbearing assemblies, both radial and thrust, may be reduced in size to apoint where they may beeasily and economically manufactured.Additionally, since the total weight of the two-deck mounting issubstantially less than the total weight of a conventional single deckmounting for any given ordnance device, and inasmuch as the center ofthe weight of the former is located at a lower point within the vessel,the improved two-deck system of mounting has less adverse effect on thevessel both as to the addition of weight thereon and also as to theraising of the center of gravity, each of which are critical factors asfar as ship construction is concerned.

As an example of the weight saving feature the total weight of a highvelocity naval gun in present service utilizing the conventional singledeck mounting is 120,000 pounds as compared to a calculated total weightof approximately 75,000 pounds should the same gun be mounted by theproposed two-deck arrangement.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved lightweight ordnance mount and installation therefor.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ordnance mount ofminimum weight which is capable of supporting ordnance of maximum firepower.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an ordnancemount and supporting structure therefor wherein substantially all of theforces induced in the mount will be transmitted into the supportingstructure 7 in an axial direction.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide alightweight ordnance mount which may be readily incorporated within avessel with a minimum amount of reinforcing or modification to thenormal ships structure.

Yet, a further object of the invention is to provide a relativelylightweight ordnance mount which is adapted to be rotatably supportedwithin a vessels structure, said mount being so disposed within thevessel that its additional weight has a minimum effect on the center ofgravity of the vessel.

A still further objective of the present invention is that of providinga relatively lightweight ordnance mount for supporting ordnance deviceson marine vessels, said mount being rotatably supported withinvertically spaced decks of said vessel such that substantially all ofthe overturning forces caused by operation of the ordnance device andmovement of the vessel will be transmitted to, and accepted by, adjacentvessel structure in planes parallel to the decks.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of one embodimentof the improved ordnance mount;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along lines 2-2 ofFIG. 1 looking in the direction the arrows;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along lines 33 ofFIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic side elevational views showing respectively,the general disposition of forces in the two-deck mounting arrangementof the present invention and those in the conventional single deckmount.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like orcorresponding parts, there is shown in FIG. 1 an ordnance mountgenerally designated by the numeral 10 rotatably supported by a top deckor platform 111 and a lower deck or platform 12. The mount comprises anelongated central column or hunk member 13 which is adapted to supportordnance devices such as guns, missile launchers, or the like at itsupper end together with conventional trunnion bearing assembly and powermeans for moving the devices in elevation. In the instant embodiment themount is illustrated as supporting a twin barreled gun 14 by means oftrunnion or elevation bearings 15. The central column or trunk 13 ispreferably hollow to accommodate therein conventional hoist means (notshown) for conveying projectiles or missiles up to the respectiveordnance devices. The cross-sectional design of the column or trunk maybe cylindrical or rectangular, but it is generally the latter since thisdesign lends itself more readily to receiving auxiliary equipmenttherein. 7

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 column 13 extends through a circular aperture16 in the upper deck 11 with the lower end of the column extending intowell or aperture 17 of the lower deck 12. A skirt-like trunk or columnmember bearing support 18 including a pair of radially disposed mutuallyspaced plates having an outer circular peripheral edge member 19 carriedthereby and secured to the column member at a point intermediate itslength such that the peripheral edge member 19 is in radially spacedadjacent relationship with the inner edge of the aperture 16. An annulardeck ring or outer bearing race support member 20 is mounted on the topdeck surrounding the aperture 16, and includes a lower flange member 21for supporting a training circle 22 and an upper flange member 23 havinga seat 24 provided therein for receiving the outer race 25 of thefrictionless floating radial bearing assembly 26. The inner bearing race27 of the bearing assembly 26 is supported in recess 28 of a bearingring 29 attached to the periphery of the trunk bearing support plate 18.While the radial bearing assembly shown is of the roller type employingrollers 30 it is to be understood that a suitable ball type radialbearing could be utilized in lieu thereof. The inner and outer bearingraces 27, 25 are retained in place by clamp or retainer members 31 and31a. Projecting radially outwardly from the trunk bearing support plate18, and above the bearing assembly 26 is a circular disc-like weathershield 32 which cooperates with stationary sealing means 33 attached tothe upper deck to protect the assembly against the entry of water andforeign elements.

Attached to the outside of the lower portion of the central column ortrunk 13 is a train drive mechanism which comprises motor 34, the geartrain 35, and training pinion 36, having teeth 37 which engage the teeth38 on the inner face of the training circle 22. When the train drivemechanism is in operation the training pinion 36 is caused to rotate,thus advancing the trunk or column around in a circular direction totrain the mount.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 the central column 13 has a reduced spindlemember 39 secured to the lower end which is rotatably supported in thewell or aperture 17 in the lower deck or platform 12 by means of thrustbearing assembly 40 and a combination radial-thrust bearing 41. A baseand bearing housing 42 disposed within the well '17 of the lower deck 12surrounds the spindle 39 and contains dividing means in the form of aninwardly projecting shoulder 43 to form in cooperation with the reducedportion of the spindle an upper bearing receiving chamber 44 forreceiving and retaining the thrust bearing assembly 40, and a lowerchamber 45 for receiving and retaining the radial-thrust bearingassembly 41. The thrust bearing assembly 40 comprises suitable rollingelements such as rollers 46 positioned between an upper race 47 and alower race 48, the lower race 48 being seated on the top of the inwardlyprojecting shoulder 43 of the base and bearing housing 42, and the upperrace 47 being positioned against the base 49 of the reduced portion ofthe spindle 39.

The radial-thrust bearing assembly 41 includes inclined rollers 50, anouter race 51 positioned against the underside of the inwardlyprojecting shoulder 43 and an inner race 52 seated against the lowerportion of the spindle and retained in place by retaining nut 53threaded on the lower threaded portion of the spindle 39. Conventionalsealing means 54 are provided between the top of the base and bearinghousing and the upper portion of the spindle of the column or trunkmember, and between a lower extension member 55 of the base and bearinghousing and the lower extremity of the spindle.

It will thus be seen that the ordnance mount is rotatably supported fortraining movement in the two decks by virtue of the radial bearing 26,thrust bearing 40, and radial-thrust bearing assembly 41, and that suchtraining movement is controlled by the train drive mechanism previouslydescribed. Hence, when overturning forces, indicated by arrow OF in FIG.4, are imparted to the two-deck mount 10 by operation or firing of theordnance device 56 or through movement of the vessel, substantially allof these forces will be transmitted into the deck structure in the formof axial or horizontal forces P, which in turn will be resisted by meansof a reaction couple (not indicated). It has been found that thehorizontal reaction at the lower deck is approximately one half themagnitude of the horizontal reaction in the upper or top deck. Any'ver-tical forces VF acting in an upwardly direction will be of arelatively small amount as compared to the horizontal forces F, and willbe resisted mainly by the radial-thrust bearing assembly. It isimportant to note that substantially all of the overturning moments orforces have been converted into horizontal forces or forces parallel tothe planes of the decks which forces are of the type that can be moreeasily sustained by normal deck structure without excessivereinforcement.

Under similar firing or operational conditions it will be seen fromreference to FIG. 5 that the same overturning forces OF imparted to theconventional single deck mount 57 will result in forces F and opposingreactions (not indicated) which are normal to the single deck structure.These vertical or normal forces and the accompanying twisting or torqueeffect on the deck are considerable and since the normal deck structurecannot alone sustain these forces in any great degree substantialreinforcement is required.

Although the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein isparticularly directed to the installation of ordnance mounts on marinevessels, it is obvious that it may readily be adapted for use in landbase ordance installations for the mounting of ordnance devices such asguns or missile launchers on mobile or stationary mounts.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. An ordnance mount comprising; a longitudinally disposed rotatablecolum member adapted to support an ordnance device at one end thereoffor rotation, a first deck saving an aperture therein, a second deckdisposed beneath said first deck, a bearing support mounted on thecolumn member and provided with a pair of radially disposed mutuallyspaced circular plates carried by said column member intermediate theends thereof and in alignment with said aperture and in spacedrelationship with said first deck, said support having a circularperipheral edge member secured to the peripheral edges of said plates, aspindle secured to the other end of said column member, a deck ringsecured to said first deck adjacent said aperture and having adownwardly extending flange integrally formed therewith and disposedwithin said aperture and an upwardly extending flange integrally formedtherewith in spaced relationship with said edge member, radial bearingmeans disposed between said edge member and said upwardly extendingflange for rotatably supporting said column member on said first deck, abearing housing secured to said second deck and enclosing said spindle,a pair of roller bearings disposed within said housing between thehousing and the spindle for rotatably su porting the column member onsaid second deck, a training circle secured to said downwardly extendingflange on said deck ring and disposed within said aperture, a trainingpinion rotatably supported on said circular plates in engagement withsaid training circle and rotated with respect thereto for rotating saidcolumn member, and power means carried by said column member andoperatively connected to said training pinion for driving said pinion.

2. A mount in accordance with claim 1 and further including meanscarried by said housing in engagement with said spindle and columnmember for sealing said bearings within said housing.

3. A mount in accordance with claim 1 and further including a circularshield carried by said circular peripheral edge member and extendingradially outwardly therefrom a substantial distance beyond said annularplate, radial bearing means and aperture and disposed thereabove, meanscarried by said first deck in sealing engagement with said circularshield for providing a watertight seal therebetween.

4. An ordnance mount comprising, a longitudinal column member adapted tosupport an ordnance device at its upper end, a first deck, a seconddeck, said first deck being positioned above said second deck in spacedsubstantially parallel relationship therewith and having a circularaperture formed therethrough, a radially extending bearing supportincluding a pair of mutually spaced circular plates disposed within saidaperture and carried by the column member intermediate its ends, anannular member secured to the peripheral edges of said pair of plates, aspindle secured to the lowermost end of member being disposed in normalrelationship to the decks and extending through said aperture andpositioned such that the annular member of the bearing support isadjacent to and in radial spaced relationship from the edge of theaperture and said spindle is in spaced adjacent relationship with thesecond deck, radial bearing means interposed between said annular memberand said upwardly extending flange, a bearing housing mounted on saidsecond deck and enclosing the spindle in spaced relationship withrespect thereto, a thrust bearing disposed in one end of said housingand positioned between the housing and spindle, a radial-thrust bearingdisposed in the other end of said housing and positioned between thehousing and spindle, a training circle having teeth on the inner surfacethereof and secured to said downwardly extending flange in adjacentencircling relationship with said aperture, power means carried by thecolumn member, and a training pinion rotatably mounted on said supportin engagement with said teeth on the training circle for impartingrotary movement to said column member as said pinion is rotated by saidpower means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS330,640 Timby Nov. 17, 1885 436,685 Barnaby Sept. 16, 1890 1,512,435Waninger Oct. 21, 192A- 2,594,l98 Motley Apr. 22, 1952 2,643,920Olszewski June 30, 1953 2,649,840 Davidson Aug. 25, 1953

